Southern Chicken & Dumplings

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (2 1/2 lb) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup or 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ice water
• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Recipe

• 1 house seasoning is wonderful to spice up any recipe so keep some in your pantry; mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months; yield 1 1/2 cups.
• 2 to start the chicken: place the chicken, celery, onion, bay leaves, bouillon, and 1 tsp.
• 3 house seasoning in a large pot.
• 4 add 4 quarts of water and in water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• 5 simmer the chicken until it is tender and the thigh juices run clear, about 40 minutes.
• 6 remove the chicken from the pot and, when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones.
• 7 return the chicken meat to the pot.
• 8 keep warm over low heat.
• 9 to prepare the dumplings: mix the flour with the salt and mound together in a mixing bowl.
• 10 beginning at the center of the mound, drizzle a small amount of ice water over the flour.
• 11 using your fingers, and moving from the center to the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate about 3/4 cup of ice water.
• 12 knead the dough and form it into ball.
• 13 dust a good amount of flour onto a clean work surface.
• 14 roll out the dough (it will be firm), working from center to 1/8-inch thick.
• 15 let the dough relax for several minutes.
• 16 add the cream of celery soup to the pot with the chicken and simmer gently over medium-low heat.
• 17 cut the dough into 1-inch pieces.
• 18 pull a piece in half and drop the halves into the simmering soup.
• 19 repeat.
• 20 do not stir the chicken once the dumplings have been added.
• 21 gently move the pot in a circular motion so the dumplings become submerged and cook evenly.
• 22 cook until the dumplings float and are no longer doughy, 3 to 4 minutes.
• 23 to serve, ladle chicken, gravy, and dumplings into warm bowls.
• 24 cook's note: if the chicken stew is too thin it can be thickened before the dumplings are added.
• 25 simply mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water then whisk this mixture into the stew.